Wire-fence-stay fastener.



No. 738,810. PATENTEDSEPT. 15, 1903.

S. E. JACKSON. WIRE FENCE STAY FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

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NTTED dramas Patented September 15, 1903.

SHELDON E. JACKSON, OF WESTON, MICHIGAN.

WIRE FENCE -STAY FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,810, dated September 15, 1903.

Application filed July 16,1902. Serial No. 115,818. (No model.)

To all whom it rncty concern:

Be it known that I, SHELDON E. J AOKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Weston, in the county of Lenawee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful WVire-Fence-Stay Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire fences and similar structures having transversely-disposed wires or rods, particularly to a lock or tie for connecting the longitudinal and transverse strands or members at their points of intersection, whereby the relative displace ment of the strands or members will be prevented by the friction caused by the peculiar formation of the lock or tie.

The object of the invention is to produce a device simple in construction, easily applied, and containing the minimum amount of wire and requiring the expenditure of the minimum amount of labor.

.fied in the claim.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure 1 is a side view of sections of wire transversely disposed with the invention applied. Fig. 2 is a view of the lock or tie detached and ready to be applied.

Fences of the character to which this invention is applicable are formed of a plurality of horizontal strands spaced apart and connected at suitable intervals to the posts, and,- furthermore, supported by vertical stay-wires at suitable intervals between the posts, and in the drawings a portion of one of these horizontal members is represented at 10 and a portion of one of the stay-wires at 11 crossing each other at right angles, as shown in Fig. 1. In the construction of fences of this character the longitudinal members and the stay members must be firmly supported at their crossing-points, and this is generally done by a tie or look formed of a section of wire, generally of the same size as the other parts of the fence, engaging themembers at their crossing-points. These ties or looks in order to be effective must support the tiewires and the strand-wires so that relative displacement cannot take place that is to say, so that the stay-wires will not move horizontally upon the strand-wires and the strandwires will not move vertically upon the staywires--and to provide a tie which will elfectually accomplish these results with the minimum quantity of Wire and the minimum quantity of labor is the object of the present invention.

This improved fastener is composed of a U shaped section of spring-wire, with the leg 12 thereof longer than the leg 13", as illustrated in Fig. 2, and having its extremity 12 ar ranged at right angles thereto at a point opposite the terminal of the member 13, this inturned extremity 12 being of a length equal to the space between the members 12 and 13 to dispose its terminal near that of the other side member 13 and forming a hook to engage the line-wire and said short member, the looped end of said members being defiected at an angle to the plane of the side members.

These fasteners are manufactured and sold in the form above described ready to be applied to a fence, and to apply them they are arranged upon a strand or line wire with the loop 14 of the tie or fastener engaging the rear side of the line-wire, with the legs or side members thereof crossing the stay-wire on the opposite side from that on which the loop engages the strand-wire and then bending the outer end of the member 12 around the strand-wire and also around the leg 13 of the tie-section which lies parallel with the strandwire,as shown, said leg 12 engaging the strandwire on the same side as that engaged by the loop 14 and the angular hooked end 12' thereof snapped over the other side of the member 13 and the strand-wire. This arrangement of the fastener firmly clamps the two parts 10 and 11 together and holds them against movement in any direction. The strand-wires and the stay-wires are reversely crimped or curved at their crossing-points, the rigidity of the joints being thereby greatly increased, as the opposing crimps effectually prevent either vertical or longitudinal movement relatively between the parts 10 and 11 when closely ongaged by the tie-section, as will be obvious. By this simple means the parts are all very firmly clamped together, and the friction will be sufficient to prevent any relative move ment between them. It will also be noted that the lock device is attached to the strand wire instead of to the stay-wire, as heretofore in structures of this class, and thisarrangement is an important feature of the invention, as by that means the main grip is upon the more firmly held and rigid strand-wire instead of upon the more yieldable stay-wires.

In some fence structures the stay-wires are of smaller gage than the strand-Wires, and

when this occurs the placing of the locks longitudinally of the fence or upon the strand wires secures a much stronger coupling, as the lock device can be attached much more firmly to the larger strand-wire.

The device may beemployed in any structure wherein wires are transversely arranged and require to be coupled at their crossingpoints, and I do not therefore, wish to be limited in the use 'of the device to any specific structure and reserve the right to the employment of the device wherever required andin connection with any structure to which it is adapted.

The device may be applied to connecting wires of any size and may also be employed in connecting wires of relatively different size and to connecting rods with wires or connecting transverselyarranged barstogether or to connecting transversely-arranged bars of any shape or size.

Another important advantage of this construction is that the device may be applied I and the locking bend completed with one movement of the bending tool or implement, as the only action required to lock the device in place is to bend the end of the longer-side 12 around beneath the strand-Wire and spring its angularly-disposed end 12 over the shorter side 1-3 and above the strand-wire. This is an important consideration and materially reduces the amount of labor required in the building of fences or other structures employing the device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- As a new article of manufacture, a wire, stay fastener comprisinga loop ofstiif springwire having its side members spaced laterally and with one member longer than the other and having its extremityarranged at right angles thereto at a point opposite the terminal of the shorter member, this inturned extremity being of a length equal to the space between the members and having its terminal disposed near that of the other side member to form a hook, and the looped end of said members deflected at an angle to the plane occupied by the parallel side members. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SHELDON JACKSON. Witnesses:

HENRY O. RETAN, G. N. NEGUS. 

